A lot of things can be said now about former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales – and a lot of people are saying them.

But if there was one point that no one can dispute, it was his loyalty to the President.

In fact, it’s fair to say that Alberto was loyal – to a disgraceful fault.

Rightly or wrongly, because there are still too few highly accomplished Latinos in the public arena, whether it be politics, sports, entertainment, etc., there exists a collective pride among Latinos when “one of our own” makes it.

That should have been the case with Alberto Gonzales.

His kind of background – one of eight children of Mexican migrant parents, who worked his way up through school, weekend jobs and military service – is routinely held up as a model within the Latino community as evidence that realizing the American Dream is not just a dream but can be a reality, our reality because a boy like Alberto proved it true.

Those kinds of stories are legacies unto themselves and if Alberto had followed the usual course of not just achieving success but being a Latino of strong character who upheld the principles of integrity, ethics and justice to serve ALL people, and not just himself or one man or one administration, Alberto could have lived off his legacy like former sitcom stars who live off the residuals of their syndicated shows.

But he didn’t. He chose to turn a blind eye to “truth and justice” and the whole world witnessed what a lap dog with a Hispanic surname sounds like when trying to defend acts of torture, or the mistreatment of prisoners, or the firing of nine U.S. attorneys because they had the misfortune of not belonging to the right party.

According to historians, Alberto was “one of the most influential Hispanic officials in the history of United States government,” and he certainly knew how to lick the hand that fed him.

He did it without conscience or thought as to what others thought of him, especially his community-at-large.

Some in the Latino community say that Alberto only remembered to be Latino when it was to his political advantage – or used it for someone else’s.

Maybe so. Maybe Alberto is one of those guys for whom there is never enough distance between their hard-scrabble upbringing and the world of money and connections they eventually slithter themselves into.

But when that much distance is put in between where you came from and who you become, you can’t help but lose a big chunk of yourself along the way.

And in the process, you don’t know where you belong.

For a son of Mexican migrants, at a time when it’s these very people who are being persecuted, hunted down and corralled into prisoncamps (including children), the impact of what Alberto lost and the power that he could have utilized to make a difference in this persecution may finally be brought home to him – if only he had remembered where he started.

The posts are coming so fast and furious today, I’m always behind. Thanks for a great post, Marisa.
Some people (Alberto is one) are examples of how not to act. There are many, many examples of people who have made it, done well, succeeded—with honor and integrity intact.

Gonzo is just too caught up in serving Bush to be able to consider anything else.

This guy is an embarrassment for any/all Hispanics. He clearly has forgotten where he came from and just wants to serve his master. In the end he’s no different than Clarence Thomas or Condoleeza Rice. All of them willing to turn their back on their own people in order to satisfy the “master”.

But it works on that other level, special to latinos in this country. Many, many people did feel a real swelling of pride in his nomination and ascension to become AG.

They were not perhaps following closely enough to see how corrupt he had been for some time, and many reflexively assumed his critics were really bigoted in some way. After all, it’s not as if they don’t encounter that kind of bigotry in their daily lives here in the States.

Now that his character has become clear for all, or should I say, his lack of character, and the price paid by latino families and migrants due to administration policies so overt. . . well, the bitter taste of all this for many hispanics is deep and profound, hard to put into words.

I think Marisa has articulated that painful sense of betrayal, anger and disappointment all wrapped together, capturing it very well.

The loyalty oath factor seems to have been the hallmark of this Admin.

Regardless of color, creed, gender,sexual preference or ethnicity. To be “sucessful” in this Admin. you had to be willing to forsake everything and everyone else you believed in.

Which is why so many who initially joined, left in disgust. Which is why so many really important jobs, not just in DOJ, but in the IG’s offices remain unfilled (or more accurately, filled with interim/acting placeholders who are often way too junior to be there.

All the folks with integrity above a certain level have left. High level jobs are being done by middle managers who are in over their heads.

Gonzo is just too caught up in serving Bush to be able to consider anything else.

This guy is an embarrassment for any/all Hispanics. He clearly has forgotten where he came from and just wants to serve his master. In the end he’s no different than Clarence Thomas or Condoleeza Rice. All of them willing to turn their back on their own people in order to satisfy the “master”.

Gonzales is an American, and he did not represent Americans, as a professional, and as an appointee, he represented and protected Bush. It is not about the culture of his family.

I think there is plenty of room for it to be about all of the above.

I understand Marisa’s reaction, however, if we were to analyze the cultural background of every person in government every time they go down or are involved with policies that are bad for the country, then it just splinters and divides the citizens. Gonzo made his own personal choices.

Coming from a hispanic I can assure you he was never regarded as anyone to look up too. Our communities can also differentiate between scumbags regardless of their backgrounds so don’t feel bad abou us we are as happy to have this jerk out as anyone else. I feel sorry for his parents thought who probably worked their fingers to the bone in order to give their kids a decent life only to have their son take the path of less resistance getting in bed with the Bush family . Sell out is an understatement here.

The only way I can rationalize psychology is to say that Gonzales is a good Stalinist.

More dscc.org crap. How does one rationalize this sort of false humility on the part of Carville and the Dscc along with the “hey hepcat, hepkitty! We need your input (NOT.) But we’re ready to talk down to you.”
We are all supposed to be Democrats and yet . . .

You know best.

Last week, we put out the call to help us choose the DSCC’s nationwide slogan, and the response has been more than we ever expected. Thousands and thousands have stepped up to the challenge, but we still want your input.

But he didn’t. He chose to turn a blind eye to “truth and justice” and the whole world witnessed what a lap dog with a Hispanic surname sounds like when trying to defend acts of torture, or the mistreatment of prisoners, or the firing of nine U.S. attorneys because they had the misfortune of not belonging to the right party.

Thank you, Marisa, for your thoughts on this, excepting that all the fired USAs were Repubs, appointed under GWB from his own party…

Like President Bush’s top political adviser, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned to avoid encroaching Congressional investigations, a fired federal prosecutor said Monday.

During an appearance on CNN, former US Attorney David Iglesias said Gonzales’s resignation is “absolutely linked with Karl Rove leaving two weeks ago,” and speculated the two resigned “for the same reason”: Congressional investigators closing in on their suspected roles in the attorney-firing scandal.

Crooked Inc.Com
Late this Monday morning the American people were devastated by the announcement of from the office of Attorney General. Tired of being the Capitol Hill pinata, Bush’s Fredo left tail-between-legs after multiple hit attempts by congress. Not that Gonzales will be any safer from subpoenas in his personal version of the witness protection program. READ MORE at Crooked Inc.Com

or the firing of nine U.S. attorneys because they had the misfortune of not belonging to the right party.

But I thought the point was, the nine did belong to the “right” party. They just refused to play puppet, and since their boss was obviously a firm believer in underlings being puppets, well. But the good thing is that at least one of the nine was also a Hispanic who is a much better role model. Just goes to show, race, national origin, etc., nobody is immune from the temptation to sell out. On the other hand, there are fine, upstanding members of every race, national origin, etc.

“He” did not personally fire the US attorneys remember;
or direct anyone to fire them, that he could recall, and knew of no one who had fired the attorneys or directed their firings, no one did.
“Mistakes were made;” “attorneys were fired;” “responsibility was taken.”

I agree with Jane, Pach, LHP and all that this is a wonderful post. I have one question though, when you said that the nine USAs were fired for being from the wrong party, did you mean fired for not being loyal to the right party? Because they were, to a one, Republicans fired by Republicans….

The 6 month sunset provision of the recent FISA Update Surrender your 4th Amendment Rights Bill and Democrats intent to “restructure” the Bill ASAP upon return after this current recess may have been a strong incentive to move Fredo off the board.

There is little interest in Democratic Leadership circles to giving warrantless eavesdropping authority to someone of the current AG’s…ahmmm…cough…skills.

Many have speculated that Deadeye was behind Fredo’s fall from grace, but I don’t buy it.

Folks should consider another hand in play. Ed Gillespie who has taken over as WH Counselor from Dan Bartlett, but perhaps more importantly, as Political Consigliere in place of Rove.

I understand Marisa’s reaction, however, if we were to analyze the cultural background of every person in government every time they go down or are involved with policies that are bad for the country, then it just splinters and divides the citizens. Gonzo made his own personal choices.

What is disgusting is the Bush family tactic of finding toadies (Gonzales, Rice, Thomas) who are members of visible minority groups, on the theory that liberals will find it hard to oppose them. This certainly worked with Clarence Thomas.

Like President Bush’s top political adviser, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned to avoid encroaching Congressional investigations, a fired federal prosecutor said Monday.

During an appearance on CNN, former US Attorney David Iglesias said Gonzales’s resignation is “absolutely linked with Karl Rove leaving two weeks ago,” and speculated the two resigned “for the same reason”: Congressional investigators closing in on their suspected roles in the attorney-firing scandal.

(snip)

My dream scenario. That the two of them are busted. I’m curious as to how Iglesias would know this though.

Bush–the spoiled, privileged, irresponsible rich kid– took advantage of Gonzales’s background and Gonzales let him. Bush has done nothing for his loyalists except give them lip service when they leave after they have shamed themselves in his service. Bush has let us all down.

I add my voice to those saying excellent post, and to those who’ve correctly noted that Mr. Gonzales, as Attorney General of the United States of America, was supposed to, and FAILED TO, represent ALL THE PEOPLE. He failed his country, he failed us all.

Well… in the president’s words.. (requoted here because he needs to be made to eat them):

“It’s sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons,” Bush said.

It wasn’t just Latinos whom Gonzales disappointed; he was supposed to represent us all, but he betrayed us all.

Gonzo’s resignation letter says it all — he served at the pleasure of the President. Where exactly did you get the crazy notion that he had any responsibility to the rest of us at all Scarecrow? Oh… you were reading again weren’t you? Some dusty old pie-in-the-sky bits of parchment I bet ;)

on talk of the nation on npr today, they devoted the first hour to alberto gonzalez………they had on a biographer from austin, sorry, don’t remember his name, who said that alberto did everything he could to distance himself from his upbringing and where he came from……..and i found his comment about his father today to be strange……..

or telling.

you have eight kids and didn’t have one good day better than alberto’s worst day?

hunh……..wonder what prism he’s lookin’ through…….what he’s measuring by, what he calls a good day…….doesn’t sound like the simple joys in life are on his radar.

Do we have to have an AG for the next year? I mean, it’s not like we expect anything good from the shrub Justice Department. I’m serious, if the Dems block Chertoff or whatever joke gets nominated, and we wind up in some type of fight over a recess appointment, then who cares if the job stays vacant for the next twelve months?

or the firing of nine U.S. attorneys because they had the misfortune of not belonging to the right party.

But I thought the point was, the nine did belong to the “right” party. They just refused to play puppet, and since their boss was obviously a firm believer in underlings being puppets, well. But the good thing is that at least one of the nine was also a Hispanic who is a much better role model. Just goes to show, race, national origin, etc., nobody is immune from the temptation to sell out. On the other hand, there are fine, upstanding members of every race, national origin, etc.

Got that right, Ann in AZ. bmaz, you know what I’m talkin’ about. Paul Charlton, your fired USA, was a dyed-in-the-wool Repub IIRC. The only one of the fired USAs that I recall was registered as anything but Repub was Carol Lam, an independent like Pat Fitzgerald…

“Governor Otter was serving his fourth term as Idaho’s Lieutenant Governor. He served in that office longer than anyone in Idaho history. He previously represented the people of Canyon County in the Idaho House of Representatives for two terms (1973-1976), was on the Idaho Republican Party Central Committee and was Chairman of the Canyon County Republican Party.”

I think Chertoff is just being floated. Isn’t that the way that usually goes?

Yup. They game every situation, and I mean every one.They know they’ll get a lot of resistance with El Diablo, and they’ll play up how the Dems are so unreasonable and hard to work with. Then they’ll come back with someone just slightly less reprehensible, and make it look like a great compromise on their part.

Re: Spinning Larry Craig. They get points for calling it a “he said/he said” misunderstanding. Unfortunately, most people realize that “misunderstanding” and “guilty plea” usually don’t go together. I’ll give extra credit to the first pundit who makes some crack about “putting the ‘lay’ in ‘layover’”.

Remember, the shrubbies wanted Alan Bersin (former Border Czar) for that job. And he’s a Dem (in name only), the last time I checked. They were reportedly always sore that Lam got the nod and worked to undermine her.

Looks like somebody has jumped in there extremely quickly to edit Sen. Craig’s wikipedia entry:

Craig was a member of the Idaho National Guard from 1970 to 1972, attaining the rank of E3. According to MSNBC he is also a huge, flaming, turd burglarizing butt pirate due to his man-puss soliciting in a Minneapolis airport.

But I thought the point was, the nine did belong to the “right” party. They just refused to play puppet, and since their boss was obviously a firm believer in underlings being puppets, well. But the good thing is that at least one of the nine was also a Hispanic who is a much better role model. Just goes to show, race, national origin, etc., nobody is immune from the temptation to sell out. On the other hand, there are fine, upstanding members of every race, national origin, etc.

Got that right, Ann in AZ. bmaz, you know what I’m talkin’ about. Paul Charlton, your fired USA, was a dyed-in-the-wool Repub IIRC. The only one of the fired USAs that I recall was registered as anything but Repub was Carol Lam, an independent like Pat Fitzgerald…

Absolutely correct Marie. And I can flat out tell you from personally that Paul Charlton was as ethical, honest and excellent a US Attorney as we have ever had in Arizona. In spite of being a Republican. Really a great guy; wish he was a Democrat, he is really that good.

Agreed. Alberto Gonzales should be taken to the woodshed repeatedly for as how ever many years it takes to make people understand that he has not only been a disgrace to himself, but that he has been a total disgrace to Latinos. I hope he is booed everywhere he goes by Latinos.

I have a problem with the meme which suggests Gonzo disgraced his people.

I’m just sayin’.

I don’t why this should have anything to do with ethnicity. This is just the Dilbert principle at work.. a man personally incapable of doing the job to which he was promoted only because he agreed to be a yes-man for presidential absolutism. It’s not like we have a shortage of WASPs in shrubco for which the exact same thing can be said.

It’s a sad day that we are still at the stage in this country when we have to even bring up someone’s ethnicity.

Really who care if he was an hispanic American. He doesn’t represent Hispanics he represents himself and his career as been one of sucking up to the man… in this case Bush. He acted more like a house negro from the plantation era as far as his race was concerned… only too willing to do what the plantation owner wants… no personal moral compass.

And I think that he was selected PRECISELY because of this vulnerability and that he could be manipulated to do their bidding because he felt protected and they told him he was an exemplar for his race.

The whole play was despicable and it was more than obvious that he was in way over his depth. He always was and I’d bet he was at Harvard as well… ad there for the same cynical reasons.

There are minorities who are brilliant and rise above the impossible. Paul Robeson comes to mind. Gonzo is nothing compared to the magnificence of someone like Robeson.

Got that right, Ann in AZ. bmaz, you know what I’m talkin’ about. Paul Charlton, your fired USA, was a dyed-in-the-wool Repub IIRC. The only one of the fired USAs that I recall was registered as anything but Repub was Carol Lam, an independent like Pat Fitzgerald…

Absolutely correct Marie. And I can flat out tell you from personally that Paul Charlton was as ethical, honest and excellent a US Attorney as we have ever had in Arizona. In spite of being a Republican. Really a great guy; wish he was a Democrat, he is really that good.

Agreed. Under “ethical” in the dictionary, first listing should be his name. Paul Charlton is greatly missed as Arizona’s USA…

Thank you. He should be pilloried relentlessly now. And someone needs to take a close look at his office staff, too. (edited from: Someone needs to take a hard look at his staff.) I’ll bet you a dollar to a doughnut that the place is crawling with hypocrites.

“He” did not personally fire the US attorneys remember;
or direct anyone to fire them, that he could recall, and knew of no one who had fired the attorneys or directed their firings, no one did.
“Mistakes were made;” “attorneys were fired;” “responsibility was taken.”

Hey! Yeah! That’s the old “It wasn’t me, it was my imaginary friend” defense we tried in pre-school

Looks like somebody has jumped in there extremely quickly to edit Sen. Craig’s wikipedia entry:

Craig was a member of the Idaho National Guard from 1970 to 1972, attaining the rank of E3. According to MSNBC he is also a huge, flaming, turd burglarizing butt pirate due to his man-puss soliciting in a Minneapolis airport.

Payback for his wiki past, no doubt…

Scrubbed already, though there’s a few pointed references left sprinkled throughout.

Abu shows the ultimate futility of identity politics. Anybody can be a scumbag or a saint – it is not restricted to race, gender, etc.

That about sums it up for me.

The Fascists behind BushCo. discovered this some time ago. Why else did Colin ‘My Lai’ Powell, Condi-Lies-A-Lot and Abu Gonzo git the nod.

‘Cause BushCo. figured they could hoodwink the rubes into supporting them with ‘identity politics’. Now that the scam has been exposed on the ReThug side the same folks are pushing HRC and Obama on the ‘Democrat’ Party side for the same reasons.

What matters solely are the policies and a respect for the rule of law a person brings to the table.

MR. RUSSERT: Larry Craig, would you want the last word from the Senate be an acquittal of the president and no censure?

SEN. CRAIG: Well, I don’t know where the Senate’s going to be on that issue of an up or down vote on impeachment, but I will tell you that the Senate certainly can bring about a censure reslution and it’s a slap on the wrist. It’s a, “Bad boy, Bill Clinton. You’re a naughty boy.” The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy, a naughty boy.

I understand Marisa’s reaction, however, if we were to analyze the cultural background of every person in government every time they go down or are involved with policies that are bad for the country, then it just splinters and divides the citizens. Gonzo made his own personal choices.

What is disgusting is the Bush family tactic of finding toadies (Gonzales, Rice, Thomas) who are members of visible minority groups, on the theory that liberals will find it hard to oppose them. This certainly worked with Clarence Thomas.

Ideology is bigger than identity. We liberals have been lazy on this point.

I hope there’s a book written (perhaps by one of the firepups here) about those in power in this Administration who have suppressed their own: Latino immigrants, gays and lesbians. These folks who shuttled their own communities, and perhaps even their families for the sake of loyalty, but most importantly, ambition.

After Alberto, shall we proceed to Condi? How about Colin Powell? Or Ken Mehlman?

Is there a pathology involved with those whose ambivalence about their own identity leads them to seek those who are willing to suppress their group?

This is not really a question of ethnicity or humble beginnings or the American Dream. It is, instead a story of character. Those who are loyal to a fault and unable to recognize right from wrong should not be confirmed Attorney General.

I have heard that Gonzales has a reputation as “an asshole.” This was uttered by a caller on a progressive radio show over a year ago who had been a cadet when Alberto was at the Air Force Academy. He trained cadets in the use of torture. Has he once spoken of his support of the US constitution? No. The only oath he took was to G. W. Bush.